Nepenthes mapuluensis

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Nepenthes mapuluensis (Latin: Mapulu = peak in Kalimantan to which it was thought to be endemic, -ensis = from) is a lowland Nepenthes species native to Borneo. The type locality of this species is at an elevation of 800 m on Gunung Ilas Mapulu in Kalimantan, Borneo.

The description of this species by Adam & Wilcock was based on herbarium specimens that were collected by A. Kostermans in 1957, together with the type material of N. campanulata. More recently, further observations of N. mapuluensis have been made by Davis, Nerz and Wistuba and the species is now known from several peaks in the area. N. mapuluensis is restricted to limestone substrates and grows in stunted vegetation on low summit ridges.

N. mapuluensis is very similar to N. northiana and some taxonomists feel that its species status should be revised. This being the case, there seem to be several stable differences that can be used to distinguish between the two taxa; the leaves of the climbing stems of N. mapuluensis are more linear, the pitchers darker in colour and the upper pitchers narrower. It is also worth noting that N. northiana is known only from the Bau area of Sarawak, which lies on the other side of the island.

References

• Clarke et al (2000). [Nepenthes mapuluensis]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
• Clarke, C. 1997. Nepenthes of Borneo. Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu, pp. 104-105.